Category Archives: Chicken / Meat

Thanks to my sister in law (lubi) for sharing this wonderful recipe with me.

Kayachar is also known as Dalcha in Tamil Nadu and can be made into a thick or thin gravy, depending on how you want to enjoy it with the rawther biriyani. Popularly served in functions including marriages, it can be enjoyed with dosa and idlis too.

This recipe may mimic the humble sambhar, but it is a non-veg preparation and does not include the spice asafoetida.

Souring agents in this gravy are tomatoes and green mango. If green mango is not available, tamarind paste can be used instead.

mutton (‘kozhup’ pcs) – 3 or 4 medium pcs, preferred bones with a little fat and meat on it. You may increase the portions if needed

Turmeric Powder – 1tsp

Red chilli powder – 1.5 tblsp

Coriander Powder – 1tblsp

Water – 4 cups

Method:

In a small pressure cooker, add the drained dals, garlic and 2-3 stems of coriander leaves and a tsp of turmeric powder with two cups of water. Close and cook until one-two whistles are complete. Leave the pressure cooker to cool completely and open the lid after releasing any leftover steam. At this stage, you may decide to cook the potatoes, drumsticks and ashgourd separately in another pot of water (to evenly cook the veges and avoid overcooking it in the pressure cooker) or add the vegetables to cook with the dal in the pressure cooker for an additional one more whistle.

In another large bottomed pan, heat the oil and ghee and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, large and small jeeras, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste and small onions(optional). Add the mutton pcs, sliced tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.Add in the green chillies, brinjal chunks and season with salt. Add 2 cups of water and let the brinjals and mutton cook for sometime.Half way through, add sliced raw mango and rest of the cooked vegetables with dal. Finally add some chopped coriander and serve it hot with biriyani, dosa and idli.

Popularly known in my husband’s family as Coimbatore Biriyani and Palakkad Biriyani, my brother in law’s wife and cousin (lubi) got me hooked on to this recipe. You’d love it if you are already a fan of different varieties of pulav. The richness of South Indian spices and mint leaves and their aroma wafting through the house excites quite an appetite.

This spicy dum biriyani is naturally deep red colored (by using plenty of ripe tomatoes and kashmiri red chilli powder) and made from an aromatic variety of short rice grains called Jeerakasala rice. It is popular in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Particularly found in the Rawther Muslim Community in Coimbatore and Palakkad district in Kerala, it is getting popular outside the Rawther communities too.

Served even during celebrations and weddings, Rawther Biriyani is served alongside non-veg sambhar popularly known as ‘Kaichar‘ and melon halwa (rich,red and yummy halwa).I found this link to the halwa recipe:

Very recently, I tried this recipe (thank you Lubi) at home with my mother in law. We used pre-marinated and lightly fried chicken in this recipe. You may reduce the amount of green chillies, ginger paste and red chilli powder to reduce the biriyani’s spice. Alternatively you may grill two large red peppers, remove the skin, blend the red flesh and add the ground paste to the biriyani masala for rich red color.

Soak jeerakasaala rice in water for 15 minutes and then rinse it well. Saute finely sliced onions in a deep bottomed pan, followed by green chillies, ginger garlic paste, and then add tomatoes. Add chopped cilantro and mint leaves, followed by red chilli powder, turmeric powder and lime juice.

You may grill one red capsicum, remove the black skin and pulse the flesh to add to the masala at this stage if you want to naturally deepen the reddish color of the masala.Add the (fried)chicken pieces and mix well.

Add enough water to the masala, season with salt and then add the rinsed rice. The water level should be 1.5 inches above the rice level. Cover it and cook it in high heat for 15 minutes. Lower the heat.Season it with some ghee and garam masala at this stage, cover it again and leave it for additional 10 minutes. Take the biriyani off the heat, fluff it up and serve it with raita and pappadums.

I prepared this during ramadan for iftar using ready frozen puff sheets and frozen kebabs. Simply stuffed the puff sheets with uncooked kebabs and rolled it up, brushed some beaten egg on top and baked on a pre heated oven at 200 degree celsius for 20 minutes. Easy and tasty too.

Clean the meat and cook it in the pressure cooker along with turmeric, garam masala, salt and one cup of water in low fire for the first 20 minutes.

Take it off the flame and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté the slice onions in oil till translucent. Add the coriander powder, pepper powder and the cooked meat along with its gravy. Return this curry to the pressure cooker. Add another cup of water if necessary. Cook it covered for another 10 minutes or till done. Garnish and serve it with rice or rotis.

“Meat! We are going to eat some meat…” Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’.

I recently watched a Pakistani cookery show where the chef prepared meat burgers by steaming and then frying. How interesting it is that fast food can be made slower and healthier without compromising on the taste. So I took the chance to prepare it right from scratch rather than relying on defrosting and frying my favorite frozen burgers that are neatly tucked in the freezer..

Ingredients
Fresh Minced meat – 250gms
Onion – ½ pc
A pinch of dried or finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
A pinch of pepper powder/ crushed pepper
salt to taste
Olive oil for frying
Method:
Blend all of the above ingredients except for olive oil in an electric blender. Make patties out of the blended ingredients and steam it for five minutes. Make sure to cover the steamer with a lid. Flip the burger on to the other side and steam it for another one minute. Sear the steamed patties on a frying pan with olive oil in high heat for couple of minutes till it turns brown and crispy on both sides.
Serve it with your favorite sesame topped burger buns or sandwich bread and top it up with pickled jalapeno, American cheese and freshly sliced tomatoes. And Voila!! A juicy meat burger to satisfy meat cravings. My mom usually likes to toast sliced buns in butter or oil before assembling the burgers as it makes it crunchier on the inside and softer on the outside which maximizes the taste.

Saute onion in oil on medium heat for 5 min and then add the sliced tomato. To this,add the chicken pieces. Crumble and mix in the chicken stock cubes.Sprinkle all the masala powders.Saute till the masala coats the chicken pieces well and the stock dries up almost. Add water. Simmer in low heat till chicken is cooked.Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with hot paratas.

I think its a good idea to marinate the mutton pieces in vinegar and spices before frying it with onions.I divided the mutton, rice and onions into two batches. Helps me with easy monitoring without overcooking the biryani and ending up with broken rice and mushy texture.

STEP 1
Marinating the mutton

Divide and marinate the mutton in some vinegar,turmeric powder,salt.Refrigerate it for 15 minutes.

STEP 2
Preparing the mutton masala

In two large deep bottomed heavy pans, pour oil and add 7 nos onions sliced finely for each pan.Once its cooked through,add the marinated mutton to both the pans and mix well.Add sliced tomatoes at this stage and continue stirring it at low heat.Adjust the turmeric,cumin,garam masala and salt as per your liking. The meat releases its own liquid, so let it to cook through till the pan liquid is dried up and the masala coats the mutton well.Take it off the heat.Meanwhile in another pan, fry well sliced onions (14 nos) for 20 minutes in medium heat. Add pepper powder and continue stirring till the color darkens. Take it off the heat.Now divide and mix into both the prepared mutton masala.

STEP 3
Ghee Rice

Prepare one pot of white ghee rice and another pot of yellow ghee rice.

STEP 4
Assembling the biriyani

Again I like to layer the biriyani in two pots. Start by melting some ghee, arrange the mutton masala, followed by the white ghee rice and topped off with the yellow ghee rice. garnish with fried nuts, fried onions,chopped mint/cilantro.Cover and cook dum style (over another tava pan) in low heat for 20 minutes or until steam is released on top.

Meanwhile, in another small saucepan,saute the remaining onions in olive oil.Add the sliced tomatoes.Cook it well and smash it with the back of a large spoon into fine paste.Add a tsp of turmeric and a tsp of chilli powder to it.Add a dollop of tomato sauce and set it aside once its cooked and the water is dried up from this gravy.

To the cooked mung dal and carrot gravy,add the chicken pieces and another cup of hot water. Season with the remaining turmeric and chilli powder,with some cumin powder and salt. At this stage,gradually add spoonfuls of cooked tomato chutney to the curry to thicken it. Taste and season further according to your desired gravy thickness.I like to add the whole chutney.Finally add chopped spinach and its ready inshaAllah.